“Miracles were all good way back when,” said the man just holding on, “but I think God is no longer in the miracle business.” I understood but disagreed.

I was there when he first entered the rooms of AA. I remembered his glossy eyes, puffy face, and shaking hands. I could still hear his tales of excessive drinking, shattered relationships, and frequent thoughts about calling it quits. With each fingernail-grabbing step, I marveled at how, with God’s help, this man was climbing out of the pit of despair and becoming the new creation St. Paul described long ago. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see it.

It reminded me how often I’ve been blind to God’s miraculous work. So often, the fog of my daily life settles in and prevents me from seeing the grace-filled landscape surrounding me. It causes me to question my path and whether God is with me at all. When the pressure at work squeezes tight, a child brings up a past mistake, or I begin singing my often-used shame-based refrains, the fog settles in. Like my friend, I’m no longer able to see the miracles surrounding me.

The blind see, the lame walk, if we have eyes to see. Our desire to walk on water prevents us from seeing that we’re walking on vodka. A modern-day miracle. Thanks be to God.